Continuing to iterate on a franchise is never easy. For most developers, at some point they have to look at what they've created and realize that they have reached the bottom of their pool of inspiration. Then you have a company like 2K Games, who looked at the tired formula of their Civilization games and decided now was a time not only to clean house, but to remodel the entire dwelling from the group up.

The result is Civilization 6, a game that looks like the best blend of Civilization III and Sim City, set on a colorful map and iterated using 2016 technology. This, my friends, is a beautiful game, one that marks the passage of time with shadows on the ground, that gives you a feeling of progression with the addition of districts to your cities. Where Beyond Earth feels stagnant and divorced from reality, this game looks grounded in real world history and events such as the Industrial Revolution and the Space Age. This is what I always wanted from Civilization, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Don't believe my optimistic viewpoint of how polished and seamless this game appears to be? Watch the walkthrough below and prepare to be amazed. This ain't your grandma's Civilization, but it will be when the game launches on October 26, 2016.